Restart

If Chase never fell off the roof and never lost his memory, do you think he would have ever stopped being a bully? What does the novel suggest about whether people can change without a dramatic event?

Shoshanna refuses to forgive Chase even after he protects Brendan at the halftime show. Is she right to hold onto her anger? Does forgiveness require the victim's participation, or can it happen without it?

Why does Gordon Korman use multiple narrators instead of telling the story only from Chase's perspective? What would the novel lose if we only heard Chase's voice?

Chase's amnesia is real, but is his new personality real? Is the 'new Chase' his true self freed from bad influences, or is he just a blank slate that hasn't been corrupted yet?

The YouTube video of Chase bullying Joel is digital evidence that can't be denied. How does the permanence of digital recordings change the dynamics of bullying compared to previous generations?

Mr. Solway is losing his memory while Chase has lost his. How does Korman use this parallel to explore what memory means for identity? Is Mr. Solway's memory loss tragic and Chase's liberating, or is it more complicated than that?

Aaron doesn't see himself as a bully — he sees himself as Chase's friend having fun. Is Aaron lying to himself, or does he genuinely not understand that what they did was harmful? Which is worse?

Chase was a talented football player before and after the amnesia. His body remembers how to play even though his mind doesn't remember playing. What does this suggest about the relationship between physical skill and personal identity?

The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration in the United States. Why does Korman choose this specific object as the thing Chase stole? What does the medal represent that makes its theft particularly significant?

Brendan agrees to be Chase's friend even though his body still flinches around Chase. Is this courage, foolishness, or something else? Should Brendan trust Chase?

The novel is called 'Restart,' which is a technology term applied to a human being. Can people actually restart? What's the difference between restarting a computer and restarting a life?

If you were Joel Weber and Chase apologized to you for something he couldn't remember doing, would the apology mean anything? What makes an apology genuine?

Shoshanna starts her documentary expecting to prove Chase hasn't changed, but ends up filming evidence that he has. How does starting with a conclusion and then finding evidence affect what you see? Have you ever done this?

Compare Chase's situation to someone who commits a crime as a teenager and then becomes a different person as an adult. Should their past define them forever? Where do you draw the line between accountability and second chances?

Chase's parents seem almost relieved by his amnesia. Why? What does their reaction tell you about what life with the old Chase was like?

The novel gives equal narrative space to Chase (the bully) and Shoshanna (the victim's sister). Is this fair? Should a bully's perspective get equal weight to a victim's perspective?

Bear Bratsky follows Aaron and Chase without much independent thought. Is Bear responsible for his role in the bullying, or is he mostly a follower? Does being a follower reduce your responsibility?

Chase's athletic ability survived his amnesia because it's stored differently in the brain than memories. If personality is partly biological, does that mean Chase's cruelty might also be 'stored' somewhere, ready to return?

The retirement home residents with dementia accept Chase without knowing his past. Is their acceptance more or less meaningful because it's uninformed? Does forgiveness require full knowledge of what's being forgiven?

How would this story be different if it were told from Joel's perspective — the kid who was directly bullied? Why do you think Korman chose not to make Joel the main character?

At the halftime show, Chase uses his physical size and athletic ability — the same tools that made him a bully — to protect Brendan. Can the same qualities that make someone dangerous also make them a protector? What determines the difference?

Compare Restart to another book about bullying you've read or a movie you've seen. How does Korman's approach — centering the bully's perspective — differ from stories that center the victim?

The novel ends with Chase choosing who to be rather than remembering who he was. Is choice a better foundation for identity than memory? Can you choose who you are, or are you shaped by things outside your control?

Shoshanna uses her camera as both a weapon and a truth-telling device. How does technology change the power dynamics between bullies and victims? Can a camera be a tool for justice?

Chase's fall from the roof was caused by a dare from his friends. What does this tell you about the relationship between peer pressure and self-destruction? Was Chase a victim of his own social group?

The video club creates a documentary that tells a different story than Shoshanna intended. How does the act of documenting something change the thing being documented? Is a documentary ever truly objective?

If scientists could selectively erase memories — deleting the bad ones and keeping the good — would that be a good thing? What would Chase lose if only his bad memories were erased instead of all of them?

Aaron says Chase's new behavior is 'fake' and his old behavior was 'real.' Shoshanna initially agrees — she thinks the new Chase is an act. Are they both wrong, or could one of them be right?

The novel takes place over a few months. Is that enough time to determine whether someone has truly changed? How long should we wait before deciding a person's transformation is genuine?

If you woke up tomorrow with no memory of who you were, and then found out you had been unkind to people, what would you do? Would you feel responsible for things you couldn't remember? How would you start over?